USH-Enews for November 1, 2007 Print Only Edition

Home Page for the website of the Unitarian Society of Hartford.
Word Version of this document in color with photographs, which will print nicely for those who use Microsoft Word.
Link to various "normal" newsletters.

New England Fall Colors - A Time for Remembering Others and Thanksgiving (photo by Anne Bailey)

The USH-Enews is a weekly email newsletter produced for members and friends of the Unitarian Society of Hartford. The USH web address is: http://www.ushartford.com/ Check at the end of this USH-Enews for information on submissions, subscriptions and escape from the mailing list. And, to read the monthly Meetinghouse Messenger (newsletter) on line, or past issues of the weekly USH-Enews click here.

Office hours: M-F 9-3 (excluding W 10 -11); Rev. Jamestone: Phone: 860 233-9897; Email: RevBJ@USHartford.com - Rev. BJ office hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday by appointment.

Sunday - 4 November - Annual All Soul’s Day Service - In the small Universalist churches that once dotted rural landscapes, folk gathered on the Sunday afternoon nearest November 2 - All Soul’s Day, lit candles, named those claimed by death during the year, and proclaimed their faith that in some way the dead are with us still, and we with them. Today, we continue that proud tradition of hallowing the memory of all who have died.

Please bring a photograph to the worship service or other memorial object to honor the blessed memory of a loved one who has died. As you enter the Sanctuary, place your memorial object on the altar at the front, and retrieve it after the service.

REflections on Children's Programming - World Religions Field Trip - Our middle school class will be visiting the Universalist Church of West Hartford on Fern Street this Sunday, November 4th. Parents are encouraged to bring their children directly to the Fern Street church before the 11 AM service, however rides from USH will be provided if necessary. If your child needs a ride, please contact Gail at: dre@ushartford.com.

Thanksgiving Service - Sunday, November 18th will be an intergenerational Thanksgiving service, and therefore there will be no religious education classes. Please join us for a thanksgiving ritual, and the introduction of the 2007-2008, "Guest at Your Table" program.

Arts Sunday
Sunday, November 25th will be our first Arts Sunday, when all the children in attendance will participate in a multiage art project. Join the RE Family as we Make Our Own Musical Instruments in the Spirit Play classroom after the Time for All Ages. Individual classes will not meet separately. - Gail Syring, DRE

High School youth group will be selling soup, cookies and rolls after the 11 AM service. Bring money and appetite.

Directory Photos and Corrections Solicited - The office will from time to print more Photo Directories, which means that YOU can still send your digital photo to Brian in the office. Please do so.

From the Editor: Please note, to help out Brian in the production schedule of the Meetinghouse Messenger, the deadline for submissions for the December issue will be moved to up to Sunday November 11th midnight.

As you sit in the Sanctuary, move your eyes to the doors to the right of the Chancel.

Through these south doors and straight out, you will find a beautiful garden with seasonal blooms, benches, bushes, and trees. It is a lovely spot to rest, to sit in the morning light, to bask in the glorious sunshine, whatever the season. Here, the moonlight is strong and the view of the night sky is exceptional. Sit, and rest awhile… As you come back toward the Sanctuary, take a moment to view the Tree of Life mounted on the wall to your left…a monument to those who are resting in this, their final earthly place.

The Memorial Garden was established in 1991 and further developed by the additional landscaping in 1999 including establishment of the patio area. Plantings were selected to produce blooms through most of the growing season. It requires more care than many similar gardens and that effort is rewarded with an extraordinary display of color through the seasons.

Benches were added in 2002 and plantings are replaced as needed. Mulch is renewed annually. A watering system has been installed.

In the area adjacent to exit from the Meeting House, those whose ashes have been placed in the garden are listed on a wall plaque. In addition, a Book of Remembrance is maintained. It was established in 1991. Conceived by Evelyn Rich, Louise Willett and its designer, Janette Smith, it is used to memorialize the life of a loved one, either a member or friend of the Society, and their family members. Examples of entries may include poetry, sketches, testimonials, and segments of the memorial sermon. This book is not removed from the Church building. It is housed in a locked case located at the South Exit to the Memorial Garden. The Society Administrator will give permission for its use and has the key to the locked case.

In our Sunday service remembrance we will pause to give thanks for those whose lives contributed beauty, love and substantial accomplishments to their world and ours, and upon whose shoulders we now “stand” to add our own contributions. Here is a list of those whose ashes are interred in the USH Memorial Garden:

Edward Harrison Cornish, Jr. (4/21/29 - 2/5/92); George H. Sole (6/19/04 - 9/7/74); Olive Sole (1902 – 1982); Mark Mosley Willett (1/30/49 - 1/13/93); Joseph J. Skinner (4/25/20 - 8/5/93); Irving A. Fowler (1/17/23 - 12/27/76); O. Sigmund Aune (5/23/26 - 8/12/95); Everett A. Galligan (12/21/32 - 2/21/96); Edna May Sole (1/9/04 – 3/14/96); Frances Davenport (11/8/07 – 4/18/98); Toni L. Thomas (4/5/43 – 12/4/98); Lois Stowe (12/2/13 – 1/2/99); Verona Mackensen Cook (1/19/03 – 12/12/99); Mary Elizabeth Meyer (4/13/21 – 4/10/00); Bessye Warren Bennett (6/16/38 – 5/16/00); Mary Beth Langton (2/17/17 – 9/23/99); Alice Burgess Edwards (9/8/29 – 2/25/02); Jessie L. Huston (1918 – 2003); Harmona R. Potter (2/17/13 – 11/17/02); Stephen G. Shepard (1/16/20 – 8/31/03); Freeman W. Meyer (7/22/20 – 4/27/04); Doris Cook (4/19/12 - 2/27/07)

One Wild and Precious Year - Dear friends - I am dreaming a text that can be a guide to public worship and to personal devotion. A catchy title could be, “One Wild and Precious Year,” though my guess is it would be better named….”An Uncommon Lectionary.”

It will have 52 weekly themes, with short quotes from the disciplines from which we draw religious authority (the religions, literature, prophetic public speeches, science) along with a brief reflection drawing the gist of the chosen quotes into the theme of the week. Churches could use this text in planning Sunday services and individuals could use it for personal spiritual growth or with a study/spiritual growth group.

I would love for this to be a project that you and I do together. If you are interested in brainstorming with me on various themes which reflect a typical year of our life (seasons, holidays, life passages,etc) please RSVP. I need to get themes set in November, so we’ll be meeting very soon.
Further, if you think it would be fun to send me quotes from time to time from things you are reading, I would be honored to have your help. Please RSVP about this as well.
This could be a lasting gift from USH to many people. - Blessings, Rev BJ

(Photo by Anne Bailey)

Nancy Mandly's Old Friend - Many people would agree that the Sanctuary, with its exposed wooden beams, visible rows of organ pipes and imposing chancel, is the grande dame of the Meeting House. But its smaller sister, the Chapel, is definitely becoming, thanks to recent additions and improvements, a “competing” pretty little princess. The Chapel is now where the early 9 AM Sunday service is held each week. It is also home to talk-backs, special meetings, guest speakers and lively discussions.

On October 14, an 1888 reed organ, a gift to the Society from Rev. Marjorie H. Davis and her husband Karl Peters, was formally dedicated as it settled into its new home in the Chapel, allowing first-service attendees to enjoy an organ as part of the service.

And, if you look carefully, you’ll see the glowing wooden lectern in the Chapel has been lovingly and painstakingly refinished—by our own Nancy Mandly. Here’s Nancy’s description of her project:

“I worked alone about a total of 50 hours on it. It needed to be stripped of two coats of paint—one latex white and one oil-based beige. Then underneath that there was a coat of dark varnish. The pulpit top had some metal pieces affixed (for microphones, I assume) and I took those off and filed in the holes with wood putty after all of the basic stripping was done. Then I applied one coat of stain to bring it as close as possible to the color of the Chapel organ and then two coats of urethane with fine steel wool rub-downs in between coats. My neighbor lent me his set of stripping tools for what I called ‘the fiddly work’ on the scrolling on the base part. That required most of the time I spent digging out old paint one centimeter at a time.

“I was very happy with the result. I often go into the Chapel now to look at it with the new organ. After so many hours together, it is like an old friend…I love our Unitarian community, so restoring the pulpit is just one way that I can show my gratitude for all it has given to me over the years.”

Nancy started coming to the Meeting House in 1989 and became a member in early 1990. She has been one busy lady during these years, having served as Council secretary, and on the Membership and Nominating committees. At present, she is a member of the Performing Arts Committee, the Committee on Ministry and the Music Committee. She is also in the choir, which she describes as her “first love.”

How did she get involved in refinishing the lectern? Again, let Nancy tell it. “The women in the choir were rehearsing one night in the Chapel and we all decided that the pulpit was an eyesore. Very off-the-cuff, I said, ‘I could probably refinish that’…and before I knew it, Peter Magistri and Brian Mullen delivered it to my garage! I have stripped and refinished every door in my house along with pieces I have been known to take out of people’s trash.” - Kayla Costenoble

Our Faith in Humanity - “Being together in peace is more important than being right,” Rev. BJ told the congregation during her United Nations Day sermon on, Our Faith in Humanity. She stressed our need to create a “sustainable peace,” which is not the same as peace building, peace making or peace keeping. What challenges her, she explained, are words like visionary, reconciliation and transformation.

Rev. BJ posited several questions for her congregation to think about: What brought us here today? What would a peace-building congregation look like? What if we looked for shared underlying interests?

Before her sermon, Rev. BJ introduced USH member Joan Kemble, who has been active in United Nations and social justice work for many years, and said, “I have not known a heart and soul more determined than Joan’s to make a difference.” Joan reminded the congregation that the UN was born in 1945 and told us that, as a child, she was there with her parents in 1946 watching the Russians cast 26 vetoes in the Security Council.

Joan said Unitarian principles and United Nations values are similar. This year, the UN theme is peace building; this year the USH theme is the family. Both the USH (locally) and the UN are working on eradicating poverty and hunger, universal education, reduction of child mortality, combating disease and environmental sustainability. At the USH, we are working on these problems with the Horace Bushnell Chlldren’s Food Pantry, the Interfaith Coalition for Equity and Justice (ICEJ), Center City Churches and Congregations United for Racial Equality and Justice (CUREJ).

During her sermon, Rev. BJ reported on an informal survey she had taken, asking “What do you think about the UN?” Responses ranged from skepticism,to naïve dreams, to visionary, to a goal of world community, to faith in humanity. Rev. BJ suggested that faith in humanity includes aestheticism, social justice, the natural world and the spirit of love and life. She quoted an early UU prophet who said, “We need not think alike to love alike.” We are moving, Rev. BJ believes, from conflict management to conflict resolution to conflict transformation.

A noteworthy aside: Departing from the usual/traditional (which she does so very well), Rev. BJ kept the USH Sunday-school children sitting quietly on the chancel steps during the blessing and dedication ceremony for Hannah Lily Donzella. Then the smiling minister, carrying the cooperative child, scampered up and down both aisles of the Sanctuary and back up onto the chancel so Hannah could be introduced to her delighted congregation. - Kayla Costenoble

Let's make music together! - Members and friends, families, children of all ages ~ come to another free interactive intergenerational drumming program! Bring your rattles and percussives to Fellowship Hall at 1 PM this Sunday, November 4. Happily, Alvin Carter Sr has agreed to lead an encore of the rousing program he did at USH last March.

The youth group will be selling soup during coffee hour, and you can bring a sandwich or bag lunch to eat before the program. We will have cookies and lemonade for all.

This program is free to all friends and members, from the Unitarian Alliance Ministry to Women. the first in a series of three presentations this year.

Remember, no advance registration or reservation needed – just show up ready to enjoy making music together!

“The Color Purple,” featuring the film debuts of Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, is the second offering in this year’s Dinner and a Movie series, on Friday, November 9. Steven Spielberg adapted the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Alice Walker for the screen. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, but amazingly received none.

Early Start: Because the movie is more than two hours long, the social hour will start at 5:15 PM, with dinner at 5:45, the movie at 6:30. Early birds (4:45 PM) to help set-up are cheerful welcomed.

Reservations may be made at the coffee hour registration table on Sunday or by calling the USH office at 233 – 9897; deadline is Monday, November 5. If you wish a vegetarian meal, please tell us when you reserve. The meal will reflect the Southern setting of the movie.

Building Peace: Women Making a Difference - Saturday, Nov. 10 at the University of Hartford. Keynote speakers from the UN, Women Waging Peace and practical workshops on peacemaking from the personal to the national levels. Check Conference Website for Workshop topics: $30 fee. - Joan Kemble

Concert to Benefit Homeless Shelters - There will be a concert to benefit area homeless shelters at the Universalist Church of West Hartford 433 Fern St, West Hartford, CT 06107 on Sunday Nov 11 at 3 PM. More

People's Action for Clean Energy: More Solutions to an Inconvenient Truth - Saturday, Nov 17, 5 PM at USH; exhibits and pizza; 7 PM Annual meeting; 7:30 awards; 8 PM Amazing Powerpoint Presentation "Heading Toward Zero Energy Buildings." Information: (860) 693-4813 or www.pace-cleanenergy.org - Joan Kemble

Horace Bushnell Children's Food Pantry Needs Turkeys - At last word, the food pantry needs donations for 200 more turkeys. If you can donate, please write a check to the H B Food Pantry; put it in the collection basket or leave it in the office.

Last week there were 139 people in the two services, but only 37 food items in the bin. Please make it a habit to take an item for each person every week. There is a desperate need. - Joan Kemble, IASC

Our Award Winning Youth Group is Again Soliciting Funds through the Sleeping in Boxes Event November 10-11 More

Training for Lay Pastoral Listeners - - 5:15-6:45 PM Thursdays through Nov 15 More

30th Annual Festival of the Season - Mark the date, Saturday December 1st 3:00 - 8:30 PM. Tickets for the dinner ($5 individual; $15 for a family) will be on sale Sunday and from the office.

Please obtain your tickets as soon as possible to help the planners of the event. If you are interested in helping please contact Patrice Fitzgerald (particefitzgerald(at symbol)gmail.com)

New Chairperson for Council on Community Within (COCW) - The Board of Directors has appointed David Newton as the Chairperson of the Council on Community Within, to serve in that role until next Spring. Based on his experience and willingness to serve, the Board asked him to take on this role, filling an unexpired portion of the current term. David is currently active in a number of COCW areas, including Communications and the Caring Network. He was previously a Council Chair for two years, serving as the Chairperson of the Council on Administration. The COCW includes Membership, Stewardship, Alliance Ministry to Women, Performing Arts, Communications and the Caring Network. - Bill Young, President

From the Adult Programs Sub-Council - Don't forget to register this Sunday for the Friday Dinner and Movie, November 9th, that will feature The Color Purple.
The winter/spring term is fast approaching and perhaps you or someone you know have an idea for a program to present. Proposal forms will be available at the Registration Table following the 9 and 11 AM services (forms are also available in the office or our web site). Do take a look at the Book Cart located near the Registration Table. Among the books that are available to purchase are:

*100 Questions that Non-Members ask about Unitarian Universalism by John Sias.
*Dancing with the Sacred by Karl Peters.
*UU Pocket Guide, 3rd Ed. by John Buehrens.
*The Circle of Simplicity by Cecile Andrews.

GHICEJ PRESENTS Universal Heath Care, 2008 Is it dead, or just sleeping?
Date: November 12, 2007 - Time: 6:00 PM to 8:30PM - Location: St. Patrick, St. Anthony, Franciscan Center for Urban Ministries, 285 Church Street, Hartford, CT More

Caring Network - A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed. -- by Henrik Ibsen - You are the ears of the Caring Network. Diana Heymann is the Chair of the Caring Network. Please tell Diana (heydiana(at symbol)comcast.net) 860.461.0908, or call the office when you learn of any of our members enduring the stresses of life so we can reach out to those in need. - Offer your services. A wide range of community services are available to help you. Call InfoLine at 211.

We are a committed, busy people and we often forget to celebrate the successes that are flowing through our congregation every day. This article is a reminder to celebrate and express our gratitude for the gifts that our members give to each other and the community. If you have suggestions for other acts to celebrate, please email Gail Syring.

Caring Network Drivers - Every week, we have a fleet of committed drivers who bring our members to and from Sunday worship, doctor's appointments, and the like. Let us take a moment to celebrate those people who are quietly and gently meeting the needs of our community. Please take a moment to express your gratitude to these fine people when you see them. Thank you to: Nita Hansen, Louise Schmoll, Chris McClurg, Joan Kemble, Barbara Thornberg, Jane Stone, Mary Leonard, Bill and Louise Willett, Maggie Greene, Charles Huntington, Susan Kinney, Kathy & Al Herzog, Katie Doyle, Liz Garmise, David & Janice Newton, Diana Heymann, Tom Reed, Ed Stubbs, Laurie Rollins, Ron Friedman, Betty Arnold, Skip Berrien, Rosie Rindfleich and countless others who fill in at a moments notice when a need is expressed!

Further Down The Road (About 30 Days)

Randall Thompson’s Peaceable Kingdom - will be the featured work when the Unitarian Society of Hartford and the Universalist Church of West Hartford combine their choirs for services on Dec 9 and Dec 16, 2007. The services on 12/9 will be at USH on Bloomfield Ave in Hartford at 9 and 11 AM. On 12/16 they will be held at the Universalist Church at 433 Fern St. in West Hartford at 9 and 11 AM. More

Thursday, November 1
9:30 am International Women’s Circle, Fellowship Hall
5:15 pm Lay Pastoral Listeners, Emerson
7:00 pm Rental, Ballou

Friday, November 2
6:00 pm Welcoming Congregation Sub-council, Library

Saturday, November 3
8:30 am to 12:30 pm Board Retreat, Library

Sunday, November 4
8:00 am Music Rehearsal, Chapel
9:00 am WORSHIP SERVICE, CHAPEL
10:00 am Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall
10:00 am Youth Choir, Chapel
10:00 am Youth Soup Making, Kitchen
11:00 am WORSHIP SERVICE, SANCTUARY
12:00 pm Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall
1:00 pm International Drumming Circle, Fellowship Hall
3:00 pm Rental, Chapel
5:30 pm Rental, Library

Monday, November 5
6:00 pm Information and Advocacy Sub-council Pot Luck, Library
6:00 pm Worship Arts Sub-council, Ballou
6:30 pm Survivors of Incest Anonymous, Fuller
7:00 pm Artist’s Way, Servetus

Tuesday, November 6
7:00 pm Religious Education Sub-council, Servetus
8:00 pm AA, Fellowship Hall

Wednesday, November 7
6:00 pm Dharma Gathering, Fellowship Hall
6:30 pm Tai Chi, Fellowship Hall
7:30 pm Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary

Thursday, November 8
5:15 pm Lay Pastoral Listeners, Emerson
7:00 pm NVC, Emerson
7:30 pm Rental, Ballou

Friday, November 9
5:30 pm Friday Dinner and Movie, “The Color Purple”, Fellowship Hall

Saturday, November 10
10:00 am Rental, Chapel
4:30 pm Rental, Sanctuary
Overnight: Youth Group Sleeps outside in boxes

Sunday, November 11
8:00 am Music Rehearsal, Chapel
9:00 am WORSHIP SERVICE, CHAPEL
10:00 am Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall
10:00 am Youth Choir, Chapel
10:00 am Building and Grounds, Murray
10:00 am Comfort Shawl Knitters, Lower Lobby
11:00 am WORSHIP SERVICE, SANCTUARY
12:00 pm Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall
12:30 pm Adult Programs Sub-council, Fellowship Hall
2:00 pm Collin Baby Dedication, Chapel
3:00 pm Rental, Chapel

Italicized entries are non-USH events. - Please notify Brian Mullen (233.9897) of all additions or changes to the calendar. More general calendar information covering several months may be found here

A Matter of Opinion: (space for comment on USH issues from members and friends) - Editor retains the right to make minor changes – letters should be issue oriented)

Cell Phone Comments - Larry Marturano doesn’t want his cell phone to ring when he’s sitting in church. Luckily, his phone has a built-in calendar, and he can program his phone so that it won’t ring at certain times of the day. He’s told it to always be respectfully silent on Sunday mornings, so it won’t interrupt the sermon. (from an article on the NPR Website)

On another web site Don Brody has written the Ten Commandments for Cell Phone Users….a few follow:

My cell phone is for use should there be an emergency while I am driving. Therefore, if it should ring while I am engrossed in Rev. BJ’s sermon, not one soul would hear it since it would have been left in my car.

Frankly, I think this is an excellent idea for those who usually carry the phone in a pocket or a purse….leave it in your car. If you choose to bring it into the Sanctuary, PLEASE be certain the minute you are seated to RELIGIOUSLY check to be certain the cell phone is OFF. Thank you. - Ruth Holland

Sunday, November 11 Sixth Annual Interfaith, Multi-Cultural Kristallnacht (“Night ”) Remembrance More

Did You Know? - Some say we are a new religion. Did you know Michael Servetus was born in 1511?

Nuts and Bolts: The member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association covenant to affirm and promote: the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equity, and compassion in human relations; acceptance of one another and encouragement of spiritual growth in our congregations; a free and responsible search for truth and meaning; the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process, within our congregations and in society at large; the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all; respect for the interdependent web of all existence, of which we are a part.

Generally, USH-Enews will be posted on Thursday. Send email related to the USH-Enews to dcnewton at ushartford.com If you have announcements or articles you wish to be published, send them along with the subject line USH-Enews by 4:30 PM Wednesday evening. Comments are always welcome. If you wish to have your name removed from the distribution list or have learned of the electronic publication and wish to have your email address added, just ask. © Unitarian Society of Hartford